UNDERDOGS
by Hoodies and Leather
Summary: Zane's never had much control in his life, especially when it comes to other people. Until he meets up with a certain masked vigilante. Aiden/OC
1. 27

_Note: So, for the longest time I've been dealing with the worst case of writer's block I've ever had and I'd been planning on writing a story like this ever since I first played Watch Dogs in 2014. It's taken me quite a while to find the time, inspiration and motivation to write and things are finally starting to come together. I hope you guys enjoy it! Reviews are much appreciated!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1: [27]**

"Give me another hour or two," Zane thought, refusing to open his eyes and give into the sunlight pressuring him to wake up earlier than he wanted to. He turned onto his stomach and buried his head under a pillow with the rest of his body under a blanket. It never failed; he could never get enough sleep and today was no different.

He could feel himself slowly drifting back to sleep. Almost there.. almost there..

 **PING!**

He groaned as the loud notification from his phone made all of the calm settling in his body disperse like a flock of birds being disturbed by a little kid charging through them.

Grabbing his phone, he swiped down on the screen to see his notifications _._

"Happy birthday, Zane!"

He smiled, unable to be irritated at that. "Glad I'm not totally forgotten."

Today's Zane's 27th birthday and while a lot of people his age would be going out and partying to celebrate, he'll be staying in, thankful to be where he's at in his life. It wasn't perfect or anything - far from it - but it was a hell of a lot better than it has been for quite a while.

Zane's a very timid person. It was very difficult for him to go out, be social and make friends. He also suffers from a debilitating anxiety problem, from which that probably stems. Because of this, there's a lot of things that he has yet to experience. Things that most people take for granted. To him, it was embarrassing as fuck and he doesn't go around advertising it. Instead, he tries his best to hide it.

Recently, things were beginning to look up for the newly 27-year-old. He finally mustered up the courage to talk to a doctor and he's been a great help. He was now on some anti-anxiety meds that are slowly but surely making some improvement take effect. Aside from that, he recently met a great guy named David. He's gorgeous, has a lot of the same interests as Zane and is far more mature and understanding than most guys he'd met before. It was a breath of fresh air.

It was about 8 PM when a knock was heard at the door.

"Coming!" Zane hopped to his feet and headed for the door, opening it to reveal an attractive man standing on the other side.

"Happy birthday, babe!" David says, extending his arms and giving his boyfriend a big hug and a quick peck on the cheek.

"Thanks so much!" Zane clutched onto his boyfriend and returned the kiss, holding onto him for a moment before breaking away.

This was the first birthday in a long while where he actually had plans to do something other than sit at home and play video games. He grinned from ear to ear looking up into his boyfriend's eyes.

* * *

David was pretty spectacular in Zane's opinion. His short, dark hair was nearly pitch black in color and it only made his aqua blue eyes stand out more. His skin was very light peach, making him look rather pale in comparison to Zane who was more naturally tan. He stood quite tall and dwarfed Zane when the two were standing next to each other.

Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, he was very mature and charismatic. Zane remembered when he first came across David on a dating app he downloaded for his phone. He'd stare at the handsome man's picture, knowing he'd just be another guy he could simply look at but never have for himself.

His finger would hesitantly hover over the **SEND** button several times whenever he worked up the nerve to so much as type out a 'Hey, how are you doing tonight?'

"No way he'd ever respond to me." Zane retracted his finger and sighed. "Not a chance in hell." He set his phone down on his desk and walked away. The screen remained on and lit up the dark room, the message still waiting to be sent.

Zane couldn't resist the temptation of spontaneity and charged back into his room, grabbed his phone and tapped **SEND** before his better judgement took over. He immediately vacated the room, too nervous of the outcome. When he eventually returned a few minutes later, a drink in his hand, he was ecstatic to see David had responded.

It was made better by the fact that it wasn't a "not interested" or a simple, half-assed one word reply. Instead, it was enthusiastic and showed true interest. The two chatted well into the early hours of the morning, before both finally succumbed to exhaustion and adult responsibilities of having to get up early for work the next day.

* * *

"So are you ready to go, birthday boy?"

"Yeah, just lemme grab my jacket." Zane glanced around the living room until he spotted his coat laying across the arm of the couch and quickly threw it on. "Let's go!"

A few pangs of nervousness bounced around in Zane's stomach as they approached the establishment. The place looked like it was pretty packed. He pursed his lips but continued walking. He glanced up at his boyfriend as they walked side by side; the sight of him was enough to remedy the tension building inside of him.

David felt Zane's eyes on him and met his gaze. "What's up? Everything okay?" He smiled warmly and pulled Zane close.

Zane chuckled, "Yeah, it's all good."

Despite it looking like a full house from far away, the couple managed to find a good table relatively easily. A waiter promptly welcomed them to the restaurant and handed them their menus.

Zane took in a deep breath as he felt himself loosen up.

"I can't thank you enough for doing this for me, David, it really means a lot."

"Well, of course! I wanna make you feel special on your special day."

Zane beamed before returning to the menu to figure out what he wanted. Even though David insisted he could get whatever he wanted, he'd feel rather rude for ordering something overly expensive.

David was planning on taking Zane out to dinner at a nice restaurant to celebrate the occasion. Though, he originally wanted to take him out to the club afterwards, but Zane knew he couldn't handle that kind of social situation. It was enough just to go out to dinner.

He already made so many sacrifices to his social life on Zane's behalf and he didn't want to keep disappointing him, plus he wanted to do something special for his birthday for once. This one was worth celebrating.

After finishing their meals, the two conversed over what fun things they could do next and how they would spend the upcoming holidays. This made Zane realize how much different his life would be now with all the changes going on in his life. He no longer lived with his parents, was working on getting on the right track and had a boyfriend. The prospect excited him and also wonder how everything it would all pan out.

The polite cashier wished them a good evening after the bill was paid and the couple headed out into the brisk fall air of Chicago and made their way back to Zane's apartment.

David began saying something, but Zane's attention was abruptly stolen by a news report being broadcast on a large screen mounted in the wall of a building they were passing. He slowly stopped walking and became totally fixated on the story. It was about that man who had been showing up more often in the news lately. The one simply referred to as 'the vigilante' or something.

"Uhh, Zane? Helloooo?" David waved a hand and disrupted his concentration. He hadn't realized he completely stopped walking.

"Oh, sorry, just.. looks like some crazy shit's going down." He pointed to the screen which was showing cellphone footage of a man wearing a large trenchcoat chasing down and tackling a man to the ground.

The reporter explained the man who was apprehended was later found guilty of several thefts in the area, but the vigilante was nowhere to be found once authorities arrived.

"The Fox strikes again, huh?"

"The Fox?" Zane was confused at first, but then remembered, "Oh yeah, I heard him being called that before."

"Yeah, nobody knows what his deal is, though. One minute he's beating up dudes who are trying to harass old ladies and the next he's speeding off from police in a stolen car. Heh. Would _not_ want to cross paths with that guy." David started walking again while Zane lingered for a few seconds, still watching the screen.

"I dunno. He seems kinda interesting." Zane said to himself, still watching the story unfold until the newscast switched to the next headline.

"Yo, Zane! Can we get going? I'm starting to freeze my balls off!" David groaned, his hands shoved tightly in the pockets of his jeans.

"Yeah, sorry!" Zane shook his head bashfully and jogged to catch up.

* * *

"'Eyy, happy birthday, buddy!" Zane was abruptly greeted with a tight one-armed hug from Reese as soon as he walked in the door.

"Thanks, man!" Zane returned the hug and patted him on the back.

"I brought some party favors!" Reese proudly proclaimed, gesturing to a small stockpile of assorted alcohol on the kitchen table.

"Well, this is turning out to be a pretty awesome birthday, guys!"

"Better than our usual drunken escapades on Call of Duty?" Reese smirked.

"Yeah, maybe a little."

"Smartass." Reese chuckled and passed out drinking cups to everyone, "So, how's it going, Dave?"

"Things are great!" David said, pouring himself a rum and coke into his cup, "It's looking pretty promising that I could land that promotion I've been wanting soon so hopefully I won't be stuck behind a cubicle for much longer!"

"Congrats, dude! Cheers to that!" Reese raised his cup and collided it against David's in celebration.

"Well, we can't leave Zane out of this celebration!" David said, grinning widely at his boyfriend.

"Of course not! Happy 27th man, here's to an awesome birthday and many more!" Reese and Zane raised their cups for a cheers and downed some of their drink.

"Well, obviously that too, but I'm talking about Zane's promotion!"

Zane nearly spit out the mouthful of booze in his mouth.

Reese scrunched his eyebrows and gave David and Zane the side-eye, "Huh?"

"He's gonna be assisting one of the best journalists in Chicago! Didn't he tell you?"

Zane's stomach flipped and he refused to make eye contact with Reese, preferring to admire the floorboards instead.

Reese's lips curved in a semi-irritated grimace. "Nah, must've slipped his mind. The little bastard!" Reese was trying to sound like he was joking but it was obvious he was a bit irritated.

"Heh. Yeah, sorry. I thought I told you already, but y'know, ..I've just been so busy lately!" Zane shrugged innocently and quickly downed the rest of his drink and immediately poured himself another one.

Reese quickly dropped the subject, "So, who's up for some cards?"

Zane was, admittedly, very bad at cards. In fact he didn't understand how to play most of the games. It simply wasn't something he was interested in or cared to learn about. Regardless, he agreed, if only to keep what just happened off the table of discussion.

Not that it really mattered. Soon the trio was just tipsy enough to give up on taking any of the games seriously. It boiled down to nothing but giggling, rule breaking and making up their own games on the spot.

"Ah, man. Hold on. I gotta hit the head." David excused himself and laid his cards face down.

"What, again? That's like the fourth time in the last hour." Reese smirked, "How small is your bladder anyway?"

David faked a laugh, "Hilarious. I'll be right back!"

Reese kept watch as David entered the bathroom. As soon as he shut the door, he turned his attention to Zane.

"So, why does your boyfriend think you went to college?" Reese questioned, his voice in a hushed tone. "And that you're working for a big time journalist or, whatever he said?"

"Probably because I told him that I did when we first started talking." Zane said matter-of-factly, his fixation remaining on his hand of cards. He could feel a Reese-style interrogation coming on and he wasn't amused.

Reese scoffed and rolled his eyes, "A relationship based on lies. Nice."

Zane dropped his hand on the table, " _Not now, Reese._ " He growled.

Reese shrugged, "I'm just saying.."

"It isn't based on lies, because it isn't based on whether I went to college or not." Zane defended, eyes narrowed, "That'd be stupid. David isn't like that at all."

"Then why don't you tell him the truth?" A sarcastic grin plastered itself across Reese's face.

Zane mirrored his expression, "Why don't _you_ mind your own business?"

Reese rolled his eyes and Zane sighed.

"I'll tell him eventually. Obviously I can't keep up a lie like that if I want things to continue with him."

"No, you can't."

Zane glared at Reese again, his eyes darted to the hallway when the door of the bathroom opened. He leaned over the table and whispered, "Don't say anything about this."

"I won't! Fuck.."

"Say anything about what?" David asked and rejoined the group on the floor.

"Oh! Umm, about me trying to peek at your cards while you were gone. I tried to look, but Reese, being the altruist he is, wouldn't let me." Zane chuckled.

"Well, I think I can let it slide this time for the birthday boy!" David said and leaned over the table and kissed Zane on the lips.

Reese made an obviously fake laugh to complement the moment and Zane shot him an annoyed glance which David didn't seem to notice.

* * *

David yawned and put on his coat, "Well, boys, I suppose I should get home while I'm sober enough to hail a taxi."

"Yeah, I should be getting to bed soon anyway. But, thanks so much for everything tonight. I had a lot of fun." Zane hugged David tightly and they kissed.

"No problem. I'm glad you had a good birthday. You guys have a good night, okay? See ya later, Reese." David waved and let himself out.

"You too, bye!" Zane waved out the door to him.

"See ya!" Reese shouted from the kitchen.

Zane peered out the door until he saw David reach the stairway. As soon as he disappeared down the flight, he immediately shut the door.

"My fucking god, Reese. Are you _trying_ to get David to dump me?"

"No, not at all, but it seems like you are when you lie to him about shit like that. I mean, what else are you lying to him about?" The way Reese spoke and the smug look on his face made it seem like he was enjoying this.

Zane arched his brows and raised his hands, puzzled "Why exactly do you care so much?"

"Because David shouldn't be lied to like that." Reese set his drink down and folded his arms, "He's a great guy."

"Yeah, I noticed that. It's kinda the reason why I'm dating him." Zane tended to become more sarcastic the more aggaravated he got, especially when he felt like he was being patronized.

"Look, Zane, he's your first boyfriend. Your _first_ boyfriend at the age of 27. I'm just looking out for you, dude. I don't want you to lose him over a stupid lie."

Zane grit his teeth behind his lips. Reese just loved rubbing that little detail in his face whenever it was convenient for him. Zane took a deep breath and quelled his flaring temper.

"I appreciate that, Reese, I honestly do. I _will_ tell him soon and this isn't going to change anything. It's like you said, he's a great guy. He'll understand."

Reese nodded sympathetically, "Yeah, he will. Just as long as you don't wait too long to tell him."

* * *

Zane sighed as he checked the oven for the third time to inspect the Italian pasta baking on the rack, "I really hope I don't mess this up." He groaned, lamenting that he realized a little too late that he should have at least practiced his culinary skills before volunteering to cook a meal for David and himself.

He was just so eager to do something for David in return for taking him out to dinner and giving him a memorable birthday. Zane knew he was far and away from being an ordinary boyfriend, but he was trying his best to be one.

The oven's buzzer went off and Zane pulled the pan out of the oven. The cheese and sauce were bubbling and it smelled delicious. Zane was very pleased with the presentation of his first dish, now hopefully it tastes as good as it looked.

Zane set the hot pan on the stove as someone knocked on the door. He slid off his oven mitts and let David in.

"Hey! You have perfect timing. I just took the pasta out of the oven, so it's gotta cool down a little before we can eat." Zane chuckled nervously, "I hope it'll be good and, you know, if it isn't, just don't be afraid to be honest about it, okay?"

David smiled faintly at Zane's rambling and took a seat at the table, "Yeah, speaking of honesty.. before we go on, there's something I have to ask you."

There was a hesitance in David's voice which didn't go unnoticed by Zane and it made him feel uneasy. He took a seat across from David at the table.

"Sure, what is it?"

"What are you hiding from me?" As soon as he spoke those words, his expression shifted immediately from his usual, calm, friendly smile to one of grim seriousness. Zane didn't like this at all.

"What are you talking about? I'm not hiding anything." Zane's mouth became dry and he tried to retain his cool.

"That's not what Reese told me earlier."

Zane pursed his lips and clenched his fists underneath the table. He didn't know what to do or say, wishing time would freeze long enough to figure out what to say to his boyfriend.

"Look, if Reese is lying and you're not keeping something from me, then just say so. I'll take your word over his." David's eyes gleamed and his lips curved into a subtle smile. He looked so hopeful and all it did was make Zane feel worse.

Zane thought about it. Here David was, handing him a "get out of jail free" card on a red velvet pillow. He was bothered enough that he'd been lying to David all this time, but with how trusting he was being right now, Zane knew it'd just sting worse to continue the charade.

"No, Reese is right. There is something I'd been hiding from you."

Zane laid his hands flat against his legs, gripped his knees and took a deep breath.

"I, um, when we first met and I told you I went to school and was working as a journalist's assistant.."

"Yeah?" David folded his arms and leaned against the back of the chair.

"That wasn't the truth."

David's face hardened. "Oh." It was all he had to say to convey his disapproval to his boyfriend, almost like he already expected what was to come.

"I didn't go to college at all and I don't work for a journalist. I have a job at the grocery store down the street as a stock boy during the night shift." Zane tried as hard as he could to hold eye contact with David.

David leered and shook his head. Uncomfortable silence permeated the room until he scoffed, "This is so stupid. Why would you lie to me about this?"

"It-it's not a big deal, David." Zane asserted, irrationally hoping it'd convince him to be reasonable.

"Yeah, it kinda is." David interjected, his tone rising, "You made up this elaborate story about how you went to college and you were working for a journalist and you even told me how you were hoping this would lead to an opportunity to be a writer for a major publication. I'd say that's a pretty big detail of your life to lie about."

Zane attempted to say something, anything to explain his position. His mouth moved but words failed to come out. He couldn't bear to look David in the eyes, but he could feel those blue eyes burning into him.

"That's not even the worst part, Zane. Now that I know you lied about something like this, I can't shake the feeling that there are other probably worse things you're keeping from me." He ran his hand roughly against his face and through his raven hair, leaving his face a faded shade of pink. "Damn, I feel like such an idiot!"

Zane cringed at how horribly this was going. He didn't anticipate David would react this way and certainly didn't want him to feel stupid for trusting him.

"David, please just listen. I'm so sorry, okay? I'm _really_ fucking sorry." Zane was on the brink of tears, and he used all of his willpower to hold them back. "I didn't want to lie but I was scared."

"Scared of _what_?"

Zane could tell from his tone that he must've thought it was the biggest load of bullshit he's heard in his life, but he still continued.

"Being judged. You know the shit I deal with, how it gets in the way of doing so much of what's expected of me. I was afraid you'd want nothing to do with me when you found out that I've barely accomplished anything. Nearly every guy I've talked to has walked away from me when I told them, so instead I started making shit up."

David scoffed and laughed sarcastically, "Okay. So, basically what I'm hearing is, other guys have treated you like shit in the past and now you're taking it out on me."

"What? No! That's not what I'm doing at all!"

"Yes it is, Zane! I'm not the one who judged you and turned my back on you when you told me about your life. Those other assholes are. Yet I'm the one who is being fed all the bullshit. I'm the one being deceived by someone I thought I knew!"

"It wasn't personal! I was screwed over so many times in the past. I didn't want it to happen again. Those other guys-"

"I'm NOT just one of those other guys!" David halted Zane's sentence and pounded his hand on the table, "I'm your boyfriend and I thought that would entitle me to a little more respect than what you hand out to random jerks, but I guess you don't see it that way."

Zane didn't know what to say. His mind raced, trying to find anything to say, something to improve the situation. The silence was deafening. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, whatever." David said bitterly and stood from his seat, "You obviously don't trust me, so why should I trust you?"

"What are you saying?"

"I can't be with someone who lies about such stupid shit. We're not in high school anymore, Zane."

Zane sat frozen in his chair, genuinely unsure of what to do or say. He felt like it no longer mattered at this point; he'd lost total control over the situation. All he could do was watch David prepare to leave.

As he pulled open the door, he turned to Zane once more, "Guess what? You're not the only person who got fucked over by assholes, okay? I've dated more than my fair share of douchebags and I'm over that. Maybe once you get some more experience and grow up a bit, you'll understand. You're just too immature. See you around."

The door slammed shut behind him. Zane remained in his chair for several minutes. It took a while before his mind started to even process what just happened. It was over. The relationship he waited so long for and wanted so badly was over in an instant. And all because of a stupid lie.

All because his best friend couldn't mind his own business and keep his mouth shut.

Zane stood up from his chair so abruptly it nearly fell over and made a bee-line for the front door. His mind was so flooded that the ten minute walk to Reese's apartment felt like it took only a few seconds.

He pounded his fist into the door of Reese's apartment. He barely waited more than two seconds before pounding even harder, not giving a damn about how many neighbors he was disturbing.

The door flew open to reveal a very irritated-looking Reese on the other side, "What the hell is your problem!?"

Zane shoved Reese backwards, making him fall onto the sofa. Zane jumped on top of him and attempted to pin him down.

"You fucking asshole! What's the matter with you!?"

"What did I do!?" Reese reached up and attempted to pry Zane's hands off of him.

"You know exactly what you did! You just had to be a hero and tell David everything!"

"Get the fuck off me, you psychopath!" Reese shoved and kicked the smaller man off to the other side of the couch and stood up, rubbing his neck.

"Why did you tell him?" Zane stood in front of Reese, "Thanks to you, he dumped me! I hope you're happy!"

" _I'm_ not the one who lied to him! That one's on you! He needed to know the truth!"

"God, you are such a self-righteous piece of shit. You know that? It was none of your fucking business, Reese! Why can't you just worry about your own life!?"

"Yup, it's all my fault!" Reese tossed his hands in the air sarcastically, "I'm the one who told you to lie to your boyfriend about your life since day one!"

"It wasn't your place to tell him. It was _mine_ and I was going to confess to him!"

Reese scoffed, "Right, like how you were going to stop being a hermit and start being more social?"

Zane could feel his temper flaring up. Reese always had the propensity for being a condescending asshole, but he wasn't holding back tonight. He loved throwing this kind of shit in Zane's face whenever it was convenient.

"Oh, how about when you said you'd quit being a pussy and get your driver's license like everyone else in the world over the age of 16 so I wouldn't have to keep driving your ass around everywhere? Or getting a real job and stop mooching off your family? Seriously, Zane, when the hell do you plan on growing up anyway?"

Zane just smiled and chuckled, "Wow, you're a real son of a bitch, aren't you?"

Reese shook his head, "Yeah.. uh, not really. No."

"Heh. Okay." Zane headed for the door. "I hope it was worth it to tattle to David about me. We've been friends since middle school and you throw that away because all of a sudden you wanna take the moral high ground. Go fuck yourself."

"You did this to yourself. Don't blame me." Reese shrugged and began cleaning up the small mess resulting from their altercation, "Besides, for the record, I didn't say a word about what it was you were hiding from him. I simply tipped him off and you did the rest of the work for me."

Zane rolled his eyes, not wanting to waste another second with this lunatic, "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

He shut the door as Reese began spewing another round of vitriol, but it fell on deaf ears while Zane walked away.

* * *

The words Zane recited bounced around in his head as his feet hit the pavement. He held his folded arms close to his own body which was being racked by minor tremors. He wasn't shaking due to the cold, but from nerves. He was on his way to the small cafe a few blocks from his apartment; it was where he spent a lot of time with David - their meeting place of sorts. Whether or not he was planning on meeting up with Zane, he'd spend every lunch break there at around 1:30.

Ever since their break-up almost a week ago, Zane had been planning on showing up at the cafe and hopefully hash things out with him and maybe work on getting back together again. He rehearsed what he was planning to say day and night until he managed to craft the words that he knew perfectly described how he felt.

He was so lost in thought that he nearly walked past the building. When he saw that he'd already arrived, his stomach began to twist. It contorted even worse when he spotted David seated at his usual table sipping a cup of coffee and obsessively glancing at his phone.

They'd been apart for only a few days but to Zane it felt like he was seeing him for the first time in months. He briefly wondered if his ex had changed much in that time, but then immediately waved the notion off as being absurd.

Refusing to put anymore thought into it, he began to charge towards the entrance of the restaurant when something caused an icy chill to run through his chest.

An eerily familiar blond man walked in through the other entrance of the cafe and immediately headed for David's table. Zane backed out of sight and investigated. After a few seconds, Zane realized the man wasn't just familiar, it was Reese.

"What the hell is _he_ doing there?"

As far as Zane knew, Reese never even heard of the place where he and David spent so much time together. Now here he was, clearly knowing his way around and where to find David.

David's face lit up as soon as he spotted Reese. He stood up and the two men embraced, followed by a quick kiss and then a second, more intimate kiss before Reese sat down in the chair across from David.

This sight knocked the wind out of Zane. His knees were now fully pressed against the sidewalk, his hand propped against the brick wall to hold himself up while he watched in disgust.

"They're fucking.. together now?" His eyes began to sting and burn. All he wanted to do was march into that cafe and inflict as much pain on those bastards as possible. It didn't matter if it was physical, mental or emotional torment. He just wanted them to suffer.

"Hey, kid. Are you okay?"

Zane glanced around and noticed an older man looking down at him, obviously bewildered.

"I'm sorry?"

"I asked if you're okay. It looks like you're about to have a heart attack or something."

Zane looked at himself, suddenly aware of what a strange sight a man kneeling on the ground and breathing heavily must've been to passersby.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Zane answered, his voice trembling. He rose to his feet, brushing the dirt off his jeans and stumbling a little as he walked away.

"I can hail you a cab if you want!" The man offered. Zane didn't look back.

Zane waved to the man, "No, I'm okay. Thanks anyway!" He stuck his hands in the pocket of his hoodie and briskly walked through the stream of people on the sidewalk.

His brain threatened to process what just transpired as he made his way back to his apartment, but he refused to feel or think about anything. Not now. He didn't even want to take a breath, too afraid of being set off.

Tears welling up in his eyes made it hard to discern the door to his room and he was shaking so much he could barely unlock the door. The burning feeling was so bad it felt like his tear ducts were dispensing acid.

He slammed the door to his apartment and then did the same with his bedroom door, not at all caring about any noise complaints he might get. He collapsed onto his bed and buried his face in his pillow as burning water streamed down his cheeks.

All of his hard work to get his life back on track completely undone by something he witnessed for only a few minutes, all because of some stupid lie. How could this happen?

Depression consumed him for the next three days. He adopted a new diet, one he liked to call the "liquid diet," consisting of mostly alcohol and very little food. He was more antisocial than ever, barely left his apartment and his performance at work was becoming dismal while his attitude became more careless.

He was too distracted with Reese and David to really give a shit about what was going on in front of him. He lost his best friend and his boyfriend in the same day and then he found out they betrayed him. He could've killed both of them right at that moment he spotted them, but every so often he caught himself bargaining with some higher power to make things right with his two ex-friends.

Zane was afraid this despair would never go away, but it didn't last long at all. It was only a weak levee that quickly gave way to ferocious tidal waves. Instead of figuring out how to win his former friends back, he decided that their forgiveness was absolutely worthless. On the other hand, finding a way to make them suffer was a much more worthwhile goal.

He didn't feel like he was frozen in time anymore, bogged down by his depression. He felt like a vibrant blaze had been ignited inside of him and that fire wanted to burn David and Reese to the ground.

But how? In what way could Zane ever put those two in their place? Zane was never good with revenge. It almost always backfired on him or was ineffective at best.

Zane's phone buzzed next to him on his bed. He glanced at the device, the bright screen blinding him as his eyes adjusted from the darkness of his room.

"I don't give a shit if you posted a new status. Who fucking cares?" He rolled his eyes and tossed the phone away.

Social media. It was something he used to enjoy, but once he realized people really didn't give a shit about his life, which everyone found boring and uninteresting, he stopped wasting his time on it. Now all it does is remind him of Reese, David and every other conceited asshole like them. They thrive on that shit. Zane wondered if they're listed as being in a relationship with each other. The thought made him want to regurgitate. After a moment, Zane thought of something.

"They're always on there." He said to himself. He stared at his phone and grinned. "I think I know where to hit them where it hurts."

Zane immediately sat down at his computer. His fingers rapidly pounded the keyboard in hopes of finding out everything he needed to do to perform hacking on social networks. To his delight, he came across a treasure trove of various sites detailing various methods of hacking. Some were harder to find than others, many of which residing in the dark depths of the web.

It wasn't someplace he dared venture on his computer before, but he felt like he no longer had anything to lose and everything to gain. His brain soaked up every bit of information like a sponge.

He didn't stop with social media hacking, he went on to learn about all forms of it. And suddenly his original plan to make his former friends look like assholes on a stupid website looked like minor league. Especially in comparison to the grand scheme of what he was capable of in the world of hacking.

The reclusive behavior would continue for another few weeks. He poured his heart and soul into learning everything there was to know about hacking and he refused to let this be something else he'd just give up on. It was all he cared about now.

He found it funny; he hadn't ever worked this hard when he was in school, but he figured the pay off here was much more bountiful. There's no doubt he can benefit from becoming a proficient hacker, but what can solving ridiculously convoluted math problems that one would never face outside of a classroom do to improve his life?

Zane was admittedly a little surprised when people started contacting him and wondering where he's been. Of course, most of the calls were from his boss, threatening to terminate his employment for missing a full week of work. Still, he didn't expect anyone would notice he hasn't been around.

Despite that, he couldn't care less when he got the inevitable irritated voicemail about being fired. Who needs a job when you're learning how to transfer money from other peoples' bank accounts to any nearby ATM for your own taking?

By the end of the week, Zane had learned pretty much all of the basic techniques that were popular amongst proficient hackers. He refused to use random people to practice on. It's not like they did anything to him to deserve it.

He started off by practicing inconsequential hacks on his own electronics so as not to ruin them in the process. Then he'd focus his attention on hacking inanimate objects like steam pipes, road blocks and traffic lights that were strewn about the city when no one was around. It was so gratifying to see a hack go off without a hitch, be it a faulty traffic light or messing with electronic road signs.

Zane was thoroughly enjoying the learning process and he actually looked forward to waking up the next day and teaching himself a new skill. It was a very different feeling for him, he wasn't used to it but he welcomed it. It was also great in that it gave him a reason to leave his apartment once in a while.

* * *

With a hood sheltering his face and his hands in his pocket, Zane headed for a rather secluded part of town where he planned on practicing a hack on a bridge. He honestly hated being out in public, the paranoia that people were constantly staring at him in judgement and every chuckle being aimed at him was overwhelming. It worsened when his prescription ran out.

A group of three jocks walk down the sidewalk heading in Zane's direction, he side steps to avoid, but lightly grazes the elbow of one of them.

"Hey, kid!" Someone shouts from behind him. Zane ignores it and continues on his way.

"Hey!" The same man yells, louder this time.

Zane turns around to observe where the shouting is coming from and a heavy feeling in his stomach forms when he sees the three guys he just passed staring right at him.

"Yeah, you! Don't you fucking walk away from me when I'm talking to you!" The guy approached Zane, followed closely behind by his two friends. "The fuck is your problem? You can't move your ass out of the way when you see people coming? Can't even be bothered to apologize?"

Zane couldn't believe this guy was for real. He barely nudged him as he walked past. His glance darted to the other two guys who were snickering at him.

"Sorry?" Was all Zane could say. He didn't want to admit he was a bit intimidated, he also refused to give the jerk the satisfaction of sounding sincere. However, the jerk bought it anyway.

"That's better." The jock patted Zane on the head with a condescendingly smug grin on his face. "Now, watch where the fuck you're walking. Little shit."

Zane leered at the gang, the three of them cackling with laughter as if their friend just made the biggest burn in history. He grit his teeth. Those guys were much bigger and taller than himself, but they couldn't be any older than twenty. 'Respect your elders' was a sentiment that hardly mattered when the younger person can overpower you.

The feeling of powerlessness tore Zane up inside. He felt dehumanized every time it happened, especially coming from some stuck-up kid. He knew most people his age and younger wouldn't take that kind of shit and it just made him feel even more like a pathetic doormat. He couldn't do anything about it and it was one of the worst feelings he ever experienced.

"Why don't you watch where the fuck _you're_ going, you entitled piece of shit."

The guys were barely five steps away when Zane muttered his grievances.

"Oh, you're a fucking tough guy, huh?"

Zane once again ignored the jock and continued walking away, hoping they'd eventually leave him alone.

"I don't think so!" He was grabbed by his hood and then yanked and slammed into the brick wall beside him.

"Listen, bitch. Nobody like a mouthy little shit. Do you understand me?" The jock pinned the smaller man against the wall and got in his face. He refused to make eye contact with him.

The jock grabbed Zane's chin and lifted it up to force eye contact. "I said, do you understand?" Passersby glanced at the situation, but only gawked and didn't make any effort to help out. Like this was just another day in the neighborhood.

"Yes." Zane said, glaring up at the man and swallowing all of his pride.

"Good. Now don't make me do this again."

Zane's heart thudded in his chest. He was embarrassed and infuriated. As the three jocks walked away, Zane quickly pulled out his phone and tried to figure out what to do. He wasn't going to let these fuckers get away with this.

His eyes darted around the area until he spotted transformers suspended above where the guys were headed. Fingers rhythmically and rapidly tapped the screen of his phone. As soon as he was finished, an explosion of sparks rained down on the trio, causing them and everyone near the light pole to scream and jump out of the way.

One of the guys moved right in front of a set of steam pipes adorned on the wall of the building, which Zane promptly targeted. The sudden burst knocked the man to his feet and sent all of them running away in fear.

Zane allowed himself to laugh out loud triumphantly. For the first time in his life, he didn't let someone get away with pushing him around. It felt good. It felt fucking amazing. He didn't want the feeling to ever go away.

Suddenly he realized it didn't have to. There were douchebags like this all over Chicago who need to be put in their place and perhaps he could be the one to do it.

* * *

Zane peered around the corner of the building and spotted his targets. Reese and David walked in to the nightclub looking like a jovial pair. The sight was sickening. Ever since he began hacking, he'd learned quite a lot about the two people he thought he knew so well. Apparently Zane was one of their favorite topics to discuss when they weren't sending each other perverted texts.

He found out that David and Reese had actually been screwing him over for quite some time. He was such a burden to the both of them and David cheated on him less than two weeks into their relationship. Zane had to refrain from whipping his phone at the wall after seeing that. At least now he had no qualms about what he was planning for them.

Before they broke up, Zane borrowed David a sizeable sum of money and since he unofficially quit his job, he could really use it about now. Not to mention people who borrow money and never pay it back is a serious pet peeve of his. While he's at it, he decided he'd charge the bastard interest while he's helping himself to his ex's bank account.

As with nearly every situation, he felt nervous. He didn't want this hack to go wrong. Who knows what ramifications he could face? It might even get traced back to him and that's the last thing he needs. It was only a minor texting hack for now, but he was still concerned something could blow up in his face. Seems like he could never manage to hide from bad luck for long.

These worries were nothing new. It's all a part of suffering from anxiety. Zane was confident in his developing skills as a hacker and they were only improving by the day, but he still fears the worst is waiting for him around the corner.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Said a gruff, gravelly voice from behind Zane. His body froze and reluctantly turned around to face who had caught him.


	2. On the Grid

_Note: Thanks to everyone who's been reading, reviewing and enjoying the story so far! I really appreciate it! I'm glad to see some Watch Dogs/Aiden Pearce fans out there. Hope everyone's having fun this holiday! Anyway, as always I hope you continue to enjoy the story and be sure to review! **  
**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2: [On the Grid]**

Nightfall and shadows blacked out the man's form, the glow of nearby city lights managed to make his features somewhat visible, but barely. The man seemed to be quite tall and wearing a large coat and a hat.

"Who are you?" Zane asked, still trying to squint and make out the man's features. It was no use.

"Don't worry about that," The man walked forward, his boots thudding against the pavement. "Looks like you're about to make someone else's life miserable." The man spoke with a rather distinct deep and raspy voice.

"Oh yeah, how would you know that?"

"I recognize a hacker when I see one."

 _Who was this dude? Why is he prying into my business? Is he a cop or something?_

"Look, I'm not doing anything to seriously hurt anyone." Zane explained, "And besides, it's not like the assholes don't deserve it."

"Mm. That's what they all say."

Zane was getting irritated. Who did this guy think he was? Sirens could be heard in the not-too-far distance and they seemed to be quickly approaching their area.

"Seriously? Don't you guys have _real_ criminals to worry about!?" Zane asked accusingly.

"What are you talking about?" The man questioned. Zane didn't buy into his confusion.

"Fuck this, I'm _not_ getting busted today!" Zane whipped out his phone and went to work. First, he caused a manhole cover to erupt, sending a geyser of water in the middle of the street to block the police from coming through, then he caused a minor blackout which plunged the immediate area into darkness.

"Wait, hold on a second!" The silhouetted man called after him, but Zane took the opportunity to escape as soon as he saw it.

"Hmm, that kid.. I've never seen him around here before." The man said to himself as the blaring of the sirens grew louder. "Best for me to get outta here too." The man quickly leaped over a fence with ease and fled the area.

Zane made it back to his apartment, breathless and sweaty.

"It _would_ be my luck that the police would be on my ass," He said bitterly, leaning against the door and catching his breath, "Is everyone fucking against me?" He headed to the window to make sure no police cars were on the streets below. He breathed a sigh of relief when no lights or sirens could be detected anywhere in the vicinity.

The rest of the night was spent cautiously glancing out the window every few minutes to make sure no police were around. Zane's stomach flipped every time a siren could be heard in the distance.

He decided to lay low and drop off the radar for the next couple days, hoping that the police and whoever that man was would eventually forget about him and find something else to worry about.

In that time he wondered if this was what all hackers did when they came close to being caught. Unfortunately, he couldn't just go to a forum and ask for advice on this kind of thing and he didn't know any other hackers.

With nothing to do, Zane's mind was left to wander. He knew this wasn't a good thing, as when he starts to think, it leads to overthinking, then doubt, then worry. It stops there if he's lucky, but it can reach paranoia or panic levels on the worst days.

"Do I _need_ to find hackers I can trust?" He questioned out loud, "What if there is no such thing as a trustworthy hacker? Can I get by on my own?"

Scenarios began to play out in his head and all were rather unsavory consequences of continuing his hacking; run-ins with the law, hacking someone who can ruin his life if he was caught, getting mixed up with bad people in general. The thoughts made Zane feel sick to his stomach.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, desperately needing a distraction. It was the only way to stop the downward spiral his mind was taking.

No new uploads from anyone he'd subscribed to on YouTube. Zane moved on to his social networks, where he found nothing particularly exciting happening on Facebook or Twitter either.

"Hmm. Let's see what the douchebags are up to," Zane typed Reese's name into the search box and tapped on his name as soon as it popped up in the results.

"Jackass," Reese had gone and made his profile private after unfriending Zane.

As he typed out David's name, he realized how pathetic it was that he was curious about what his former friends were doing. He knew it was childish and that it'd just annoy him, but he didn't care. It was better than doing nothing and it was a hell of a lot better than his normal routine of worrying over stupid shit.

"Bingo," David's Facebook was left completely public, "Apparently he didn't get the memo that they were both supposed to lock me out."

Zane laughed and shook his head. It was just as he predicted, except even more ridiculous. He scrolled down the timeline to see a disgusting amount of posts about himself and Reese. It was narcississism at an obnoxious level.

Zane wondered if they were doing this on purpose in the hopes that he'd come across it and become jealous.

"What a fucking idiot," Zane scoffed as David wrote a lengthy rant about something petty.

"You think you post enough selfies? Goddamn," David and Reese had enough selfies to open their own museum dedicated to it.

"No one cares what you're eating," Zane said as he scrolled past the tenth picture posted within the last three days of a plate full of food.

Zane already knew how much David liked posting things to social media. In fact, he tried multiple times to get Zane more active on there and join in on it with him. Zane liked updating and uploading just fine, but he wasn't interested in the overexposure that David wanted, especially when it came their relationship.

He didn't want to annoy people with countless pictures of himself with his boyfriend and flood everyone else's news feed with corny status updates about how much he loves his man.

Though now it seems he's putting even more out there since he started dating Reese. The amount of likes his posts got made Zane's eyes roll and finally decide he had enough masochism for the night. He wanted some fresh air and positivity. He just hoped no one else was on the roof. He didn't want to be bothered.

Pushing open the door, Zane was greeted by a cool autumn breeze that lightly tossed his short, brown hair around. He walked towards the edge of the building and sat down. He was illuminated by the various orange, blue and white lights of the city and he took in the sight of the bustling urban world in front of him.

It wasn't very often that he could enjoy something like this. Normally, he'd be too wrapped up in whatever overblown concern his mind was fixated on to have time for anything else. At the moment, his mind was clear and he wanted to take full advantage of it.

"Hey."

Zane abruptly broke out of his trance and turned to the source of the voice. A familiar shadowed figure stood a couple yards away.

"What the hell do _you_ want!?" Zane snapped, immediately recognizing the voice. He rose to his feet and began mapping out an escape plan, but he realized he was basically cornered.

"I was really impressed by your hacking skills back there," The man said. Zane thought this was a strange thing for a cop to say. Maybe he was trying to bait him into admission and bust him.

"I dunno what you're talking about, dude. I didn't do that," Zane shook his head, his nerves were apparent in his voice. "I'm not the guy you're looking to throw in jail, okay?"

"Huh? Throw in jail?" The man approached Zane. He stepped into some stray illumination from a billboard and Zane finally got a good look at him.

The man was clad in an enormous, heavy-looking brown leather trenchcoat that flapped loudly in the wind. The orange light of the city skyline reflected off the shiny leather and framed the man's broad outline. A mask covered the bottom of his face up to the bridge of his nose and he was wearing a black baseball cap with an embroidery on the front of it.

His eyes widened at the realization of who he was talking to.

"Wait a second, that insignia." Zane said, taking note of the design on the man's hat. "You're... the Fox."

The man nodded. "Some call me that."

Zane was quite relieved to know he wasn't about to be arrested, but he was still uneasy about a few other things.

"Well, why did you track me down. _How_ did you track me down?"

"I'll admit when I first saw you were about to hack someone, I thought you were just some deadbeat hacker who only got off to ruining other peoples' day. But, I dunno... something about you tells me otherwise."

"Something about me? What do you mean?"

"Just.. the way you are."

"The way I am?"

"You said you were hacking someone who deserves it. What did they do to you? ...If you don't mind me asking."

Zane did mind him asking, but he decided to indulge the man anyway.

"Look, I'm well aware of how petty this all sounds to someone else, but to me it's anything but." Zane sighed and folded his arms, pacing around as he does when he gets nervous, "I've gone through my whole life surrounded by people who like to fuck with me knowing I won't do anything about it. I'm sick of it. It's one thing to routinely get pushed around by someone I barely know, but from those that are closest to me? I can't let it slide anymore."

"You're so defensive," The Fox said calmly, "I don't think it's petty at all."

"You.. don't?" Zane stopped pacing and raised his eyebrows, genuinely surprised. "Well, I think that makes you the first guy to ever say that."

"I'm well aware of how awful people can be. You don't need to convince me of that."

Zane picked up on the Fox's sincerity; it was evident in his tone. He wondered what the man must've dealt with to make him feel that way, but decided now wasn't the best time to ask.

"By the way, sorry for spooking you the other day. If I'd have known what your intentions were, I wouldn't have bothered you."

"Don't worry about it. Honestly, it's kind of refreshing knowing there's someone like you out there."

"Someone like me?"

"Yeah, someone who looks out for the underdog." Zane allowed a hint of a smile to show.

The Fox smiled a little too, though it was hidden under his mask. He realized Zane was a good kid, but that also concerned him. He didn't want him to get hurt and he figured the young man wasn't too experienced in the world of hacking. Despite his skill, he just didn't have the same attitude the Fox was used to seeing from most hackers he's come across.

"Listen, you're a proficient hacker from what I've seen so far, but it's dangerous out there," The Fox warned. "Police, or worse, other hackers can sniff you out and complicate things for you. If you want, I can help you avoid a lot of that and teach you some new skills."

"Yeah, actually I'd appreciate that a lot." Zane nodded, now that the Fox was confirming some of his fears weren't as unfounded as he hoped. The two men exchanged numbers.

"I can meet you at your place sometime. Where do you live?"

The Fox shook his head, "It'd be better if I met with you at your place."

Zane found this a little odd, but didn't question it. "Okay, well, I live in this building. Fourth floor, room 4E."

"Gotcha. I'll let you know if I'm stopping by. Don't be afraid to say something if you need my help."

"I will, thanks." Though Zane was thanking him for more than just his willingness to help out, he was thanking him for not judging him.

"No problem," The Fox slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I better get going. You take care of yourself, alright?"

"I'll be fine," Zane nodded. "You too." He immediately felt like it was a stupid thing to say, after all this man was much more capable than he was, but he found himself caring about the Fox's wellbeing too.

The man simply nodded in response and headed for the exit.

After he heard the roof access door close, Zane turned to face the city again. He resumed sitting on the edge of the roof, folding his arms on his knees and resting his chin there. He smiled a little; he didn't feel so alone anymore.


	3. First Name Basis

_Note: Hey guys, thanks for your patience. I've been meaning to post this chapter a long time ago but it's hard finding the time to sit down and focus on writing and editing during this very busy time of year! Hope everyone's having a great holiday season! As always, thanks to everyone who reads and reviews! It's really important to me!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3: [First Name Basis]  
** _  
_"Perhaps spending the night reading creepypastas to entertain myself wasn't the best idea," Zane said to himself. He sat in the darkness of his bedroom, illuminated only by the light of his laptop, playing one of many videos on a series of unsettling urban legends and other tales in video games.

A small creak in the floor a few rooms away startled him briefly, but he waved it off.

"Why do I do this to myself? I always watch these damn things at night even though I know it'll just keep me awake and then I start hearing and seeing shit that's not really there."

Ignoring the sounds as well as his own advice, he continued watching. This time he clicked on a video that looked like it was centered on Sonic watching the player through the screen and sending threatening messages to them.

A distinct sound coming from down the hall caused him to jump. These sounds weren't just the normal creaking of the building, nor were they in his imagination. It sounded like the heavy thud of a boot; like someone was creeping through his house.

Walking carefully down the hall, as if he himself were the intruder, his body trembled with the anticipation of finding something or someone he really didn't want to come across.

He was nearly past the door to the spare bedroom when a hand laid firmly on his shoulder and sent a jolt through his spine. The hand reeled Zane into the room causing him to yelp and curse.

"Who the fuck-!?" Zane yelled, but the same hand that grabbed him covered his mouth.

"Shh!" The man commanded and quickly felt for the light switch in the dark room.

When the light turned on, Zane was facing his intruder; a broad man decked out in a dark baseball cap, a mask that covered his mouth and nose and a shiny leather trenchcoat that hung just below his knees.

"Dude, what the hell? Are you trying to give me a heart attack!?" Zane shouted.

The Fox released his hold on the younger man and calmly placed his hands in the pockets of his coat.

"I told you I was coming over," The man stated, pulling down the mask to reveal the rest of his face.

"Yeah, I know that," Zane sighed heavily. "You do realize I have a front door, right?"

"Sorry, it's a force of habit." He explained, "Plus, I prefer to stay out of sight. I don't want to draw any attention to myself, nor to you."

Zane first "met" the Fox about two weeks ago, but this was the first time he saw the man up close and without his mask. This time there were no shadows casted over him from the cover of night or the bill of his hat.

The first thing Zane noticed were his eyes. They were intense; a vibrant shade of green with a slight hint of icy blue. He had short, chocolate-brown hair that could be seen under his hat and a patch of stubble on his face.

He already knew the Fox was tall, but standing this close to him, it became obvious that the man actually towered over Zane by around a foot.

Zane wasn't tall by any means. In fact, he was noticeably below average. Standing near the Fox made him feel like a small boy looking up at a grown man. No doubt the Fox had an intimidating appearance, but Zane didn't seem to mind. Actually, he realized he kind of liked it.

"I appreciate that. I guess I can understand, considering how much I hear about you on the news," Zane admitted.

"Yeah, I wish the media was all I had to worry about."

"What do you mean?"

"Heh. Hacking can be a bit of a risky business, even when you're careful." The Fox paced a short distance around the room, observing the scenery. "It can net you a long list of enemies." He glanced down at the floor, images flashing through his mind. "Enemies that couldn't care less whether their retribution is proportionate or not."

Judging from the Fox's tone, Zane figured he must've been through some pretty awful things since he started getting into hacking.

"Kinda why I'm a little bit cautious about a young guy like yourself getting into the mix of it."

"I'm not _that_ young, though," Zane frowned, "I'm 27."

The man looked at Zane, eyebrows raised and a bit stunned.

"27, huh?" He anticipated Zane must've been closer to his early twenties. "Sorry, I thought you were a bit younger."

"It's okay. I get it a lot," Zane smirked. By this point it no longer bothered him. At least from this guy, the apology seemed more genuine than he was used to hearing.

Despite knowing the younger man was older than he originally thought, the Fox still worried for him; he came off as a bit timid and slightly naive. He also questioned if he was capable of physically defending himself.

"Listen, uh... Fox," Zane started, feeling a bit awkward about not knowing what else to call him.

"You can just call me Aiden."

"Okay, ..Aiden." He was a bit taken aback by this gesture, simple as it was. This man who has quite a level of notoriety and a prominent desire to remain anonymous was sharing his name with him. He wondered how many other people received the same privilege and what he did to earn Aiden's trust so quickly.

"If we're going to be on a first name basis, I'm Zane."

Aiden simply nodded in acknowledgement. "Alright. I'll keep that in mind, Zane."

"Is there any way for people to figure out I've been hacking them?"

"Absolutely," Aiden said, "But there are ways to prevent that. Though, it's a bit more difficult when you're dealing with a far more advanced hacker."

"So, going after someone who doesn't know how to hack shouldn't be a problem?"

"It depends. You won't always know if your target is a random citizen going about their business or if they're proficient in all there is to know about hacking. It's wise to always be cautious and know how to protect yourself."

"And everything you know about that.. it works for you?"

"I wouldn't be standing here in front of you if it hadn't."

"How long have you been a hacker?"

"Quite a while. Several years, I'd say."

"What made you want to start?"

"It was something I discovered I was good at, so I kept at it and it became something of a full-time thing for me. As for what motivates me now..." Aiden winced and glanced down at the floor. "Hm. I think that's something best saved to discuss another time."

Zane noted the change in Aiden's demeanor and felt it was best not to question further, it must've been a sensitive subject.

"Of course," Zane nodded. "No rush. You can tell me whenever you want."

"What about you?" Aiden asked.

"Huh?"

"What made you want to get into hacking?"

Zane glanced around the room, feeling a little embarrassed. He assumed his reason would sound quite petty in comparison to Aiden's motivation.

"A couple of guys screwed me over big time," Zane started, unable to hold contact with Aiden's piercing eyes glancing down at him. "I thought they were my best friends, thought I could trust them more than anyone else, but it turned out I couldn't have been more wrong." Zane folded his arms against himself.

"Guess I'm just sick of being treated like a doormat."

"I can't blame you for that," Aiden said, his eyes still fixated on Zane from under the bill of his hat.

Zane felt a little bit better hearing that and seeing that look in Aiden's eyes. They were honest, free of judgement and condescension.

"Zane?"

"Yeah?"

"Just.. be sure to be careful, okay? Like I said before, hacking can lead to some awful things. I've seen it firsthand."

"I'll be fine, Aiden. I'm not a little kid." Zane was a little bothered by Aiden treating him like a child, but at the same time he liked that the man seemed to care about his well-being.

Even more, he was beginning to feel a little turned on by his protectiveness.

"I know, it's just that I've seen what it can lead to."

"I understand. I appreciate it, but I'll be okay." He didn't want Aiden to dissuade him from his persuit, but he also wanted to show his gratitude to the man for looking out for him and being willing to help him.

"Good." Aiden had a feeling that Zane was a bit in over his head with his ambition for vengeance. He didn't want to see the kid get hurt. He could tell he's already felt too much pain in his life. He barely knew him, but there was something about him that made Aiden want to protect him.

Aiden noticed Zane's eyes darting around and simply looking a little uneasy in general. His eyebrows furrowed, glancing down at the shorter man.

"Is everything alright? You seem a little nervous." His hand came to rest on Zane's shoulder which tensed upon contact. He lightly gripped his shoulder, trying to ease some comfort into him.

"Yeah, it's just.. kinda the way I always am, I guess." Zane admitted, internally wondering how odd that might've sounded. Aiden's touch wasn't unwelcome, it was actually rather calming.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" Aiden sounded genuinely concerned this time.

"No. It's no big deal, really." Zane lightly laughed it off.

"Okay," Aiden accepted. He pulled back his hand and returned it to his coat pocket. Though the fact that he felt the young man's body trembling made it a little hard to take his word for it.

"Listen, I better take off." Aiden headed towards the door to the hallway, lightly brushing past Zane, "I'll come by later in the week and I can teach you some things I know about hacking. I can also modify your phone to help safeguard you from detection."

"Yeah, that'd be great! Thanks." Zane smiled at the man. Aiden nodded in return.

"Stay safe, Zane." Aiden stepped into the hallway and let himself out.

"You too."

Alone again. He kind of wished he asked Aiden to stay, but he had no logical reason to ask him to stick around other than to keep him company and he didn't want to weird the guy out. It was getting late anyway.

Zane climbed into bed, resting his face against his pillow and wrapping his body tightly in his blanket.

"Aiden..."

He couldn't stop thinking about him. Now he knew his name, he'd seen his face. The mysterious man had been in his apartment. He hadn't had anyone else visit him at his place, not since Reese and David's transgression.

He grinned when he realized that it'd been at least a full day since those two assholes even crossed his mind. He was relieved that they were becoming less important in his life, but he knew he still had unfinished business to attend to with them. He wouldn't feel right letting them get off scot-free. Their smug attitudes would get uglier and who knows who else they might try to hurt.

Zane groaned as he felt his muscles tense and his body heat up, his heart began to pound.

"No more of that." He said to himself, pushing those negative thoughts out of his head. He breathed deeper, calming himself down and directing his mind elsewhere.

As for Aiden, it was the first time he had an intimate encounter with him. He had this reputation of being a ruthless vigilante and, from his first meeting with him, he could understand where that notion came from. But afterwards, he realized that Aiden was actually pretty cool. A level-headed and caring man.

Zane's mind drifted to how attractive the man was up close. He had such a strikingly handsome face, piercing eyes, that stubble, his low, gravelly voice that was actually quite relaxing to listen to. He even admired that huge leather trenchcoat and his hat. It only complemented his already attractive, masculine physique.

He also loved how tall he was. Aiden absolutely towered over Zane, forcing the shorter man to look a ways up in order to maintain eye contact. He could tell the man had a well-built frame underneath his trenchcoat.

He also couldn't shake off the feeling of Aiden's hand on his shoulder. The gesture was so sudden and comforting. He could feel just how strong this man's hands were. They felt warm and he wouldn't object to it happening again in the future.

The comforting thoughts finally took effect on his body and mind, which both slowed to a relaxed pace and he eventually drifted off to sleep.


	4. Always the Bad Guy

_Note: Hey, guys! Sorry this chapter is coming so late. Writer's block is the worst. I've been working on this chapter for quite a while, though and I waited to post it until I felt it was complete. Thanks again for reading and reviewing! Hopefully chapter five will be up quicker than chapter four!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4: [Always the Bad Guy]**

Zane woke up with a painful ache in his stomach. He wasn't sick, he hadn't had that much to drink the night before. He recognized this pain well; it was his old friend anxiety. It'd been a while since he did any sort of hacking on Reese and David and pushing it off was causing the tension to build up.

He really hated when even he couldn't agree with himself. Part of him knew he needed to teach them a lesson or at least get even with them. But the other part was still timid, afraid of rocking the boat and felt a little guilty about doing such a thing, even though the jerks had it coming.

Resigning to being a doormat was oddly comforting; it was what he was used to, after all. He didn't have to lift a finger and people would just walk all over him. But he was absolutely sick of being disrespected and tossed aside like he didn't matter.

These thoughts rushed through Zane's mind as he amped up his resolve while he stared down at his former best friend and ex-boyfriend hanging out in the cafe with contempt. His teeth clenched. Why were they allowed to be this happy? It wasn't fair that they got to galavant without a single care or modicum of guilt in the world. Not after what they've done.

The only thing that made it worse was the fact that Zane was the one feeling guilty, as if he was the one who betrayed his friends. No, they were the ones who drew first blood. Fuck them. They weren't good enough for Zane's mercy.

Zane pulled out his phone and flipped through David's social media.

 _Going to pick up this beauty with Reese tomorrow. Can't wait! Taking him out tonight to celebrate!_  
 _David - 4:52PM_

Under the post was a picture of Reese with his arm hung proudly over the roof of a car. It was bright red; Reese's favorite color. Its shine glared from the light of the sun setting behind it. He bet they staged the shot as much as possible. If it weren't clearly sitting in a used car lot, Zane would have assumed it was brand new. Zane was well aware that the entirety of his car knowledge could be written on a Post-It, but he knew a nice car when he saw it.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes at how cocky Reese looked in the picture, with his sunglasses on and a smug grin on his face. His finger pointed right at the car as if to say, "This is mine now!" There was no doubt that the same picture appeared on Reese's profile with a caption like that.

After studying the picture for a few seconds, Zane noticed Reese was being more of a conceited show-off than usual. He was pointing at the car, but more specifically he was pointing at the bright orange price tag clinging to the windshield, which read $9500.

"Asshole." Zane grumbled and shook his head.

Reese always was the type to rub his fortune in other peoples' faces, but it seems like he's gotten worse. Either that, or Zane didn't notice how bad it was until after the end of their friendship.

No one else seemed to notice it. If they did, they didn't care. In fact, they ate it up. At least David's friends did. His post was filled with likes and comments of people sucking up to him and Reese, talking about how sexy the car is and how awesome they'll look driving it. He exited the app after another minute. He could only stomach seeing the words "lit" and "goals" so much before he was tempted to whip his phone off the roof.

"Sure would be hilarious if he went to the dealership and his card got declined," Zane smirked and chuckled to himself. "Too bad that'll never happen."

Unfortunately Reese was one of those undeserving bastards who seemed to have a limitless bank account. There's no way he'd ever run out of money.

"Unless he did," Zane's face lit up as he realized something like that wasn't as out of reach as he thought.

For as long as he'd been learning about the world of hacking, he still wasn't used to having these new skills at his disposal, just as he wasn't used to not being completely powerless. He hacked into a security camera near the cafe and, from there, hacked another camera positioned indoors. Eventually he got a clear view of Reese's phone and, after a few simple clicks, Zane made his way into Reese's bank account.

He scanned through Reese's recent purchases and found no payments made to any sort of car dealership and no withdrawals of $9500 or more.

Reese hadn't yet purchased the car.

A sly grin formed across Zane's lips. His heart pounded in his chest and reverberated in his throat. He was getting a rush from being so close to enacting any sort of revenge. It was a far cry from being the doormat he was used to living as.

He punched in the numbers, which his eyes repeatedly scanned obsessively to make sure they were absolutely correct. His hands shook and he hesitantly pressed the TRANSFER button on his phone.

And just like that, Reese's account was empty. He wouldn't be driving home in his brand new car tomorrow. Zane so badly wished he could be there to see the look on his face when his card gets declined and he has to tell all of his loyal peasant followers that he wasn't getting his precious new ride.

Though, Zane wasn't planning on using the money to go on a shopping spree. He'd place the money back into Reese's account in a day or so. He'd be broke long enough to miss out on the car.

As much as he wanted to, he wouldn't keep so much as a dollar of Reese's money. It'd look too suspicious if the money returned with a portion of it missing. This way, it'd simply look like there was some sort of mix-up at the bank and they'd be none the wiser.

"Enjoy your meal, dickheads." Zane sneered down at his unsuspecting victims and then made his way back home.

By the time he made it to his apartment, he was wiped out.

"I really need to get in better shape." He lamented, thinking about how Aiden makes all the physical aspects of hacking in the shadows look so easy.

Zane may be skinny and light, but Aiden was far more athletic. He could easily make the trek across town to the cafe and back, including the leaping over fences and obstacles, without getting winded.

"Too bad that's not something he could teach me about." Zane yawned and climbed into bed. At least no one could say he didn't do anything today.

* * *

Zane was awake for about a half hour before remembering what he did the night before. He eagerly opened the Facebook app and immediately headed for David's profile. Surely they had received the bad news by now.

Just as expected, it was emblazoned at the top of David's profile like a news headline.

 _Looks like we won't be getting the car today. :( Something's wrong with Reese's account! WTF_  
 _David - 2:05PM_

Zane laughed as he read it. It made him feel like a stereotypical villain from a movie or a TV show when their evil scheme pans out. Though he knew himself not to be the villain in this situation. It was child's play compared to what they _really_ deserved.

He continued reading through the thread of comments left by David's friends and noticed quite a few came from Reese's friends as well.

 _Oh no! What happened?_

 _He tried to withdraw money but his account was empty. It makes NO sense! He had more than enough in there earlier. -David_

 _That's horrible! I'm so sorry! :( Is it a problem with the bank or his card or was the money stolen?_

 _We don't know. The bank is looking into it. Hopefully just a problem with the bank's database or something. Reese is really upset. More about the fact all his money is gone than not getting the car. -David_

 _That's understandable. Poor Reese! :( I hope it's just a mistake and he hasn't lost his money. That's scary. I've been hearing a lot about folks losing money lately due to hackers._

 _Yeah, I know. That's what I'm worried about. -David_

"'Poor Reese'? What a joke!" Zane scoffed, "If they knew how much of a prick he is, they wouldn't be crying for him."

Zane lamented over David's friend giving him the idea that this was the work of a hacker. The last thing he needed was someone snooping into hacker territory. Aside from that, he was pretty pleased with himself when he read that Reese was miserable over this.

As the day continued, Zane felt increasingly uncomfortable over the result of his actions. The overwhelming feeling of gratification that he was expecting and looking forward to never came. If anything, it was there for a second, but it was fleeting and ended instantly. Instead, the only thing that stuck around was a residual feeling of guilt.

He tried to be happy that his former friend was taking his turn being upset for once and it was because of something that he, himself did to him rather than the other way around, which was how it normally worked out, but he couldn't. Zane could only empathize with the disappointment and fear Reese must be going through.

He sat in bed and stared at David's profile, hoping he'd read something that would snap him out of it, but it just made him feel worse.

"Goddammit!" Zane angrily tossed his phone away, which tumbled off the edge of the bed. He fell back hard, his face hitting the pillow. "What the fuck is _wrong_ with me!? No matter what I do, I can't win! I'm always the bad guy! I'm always the fucking loser!"

He pounded his fist into the bed and his eyes stung from the dampening of a few stray tears that his frustration was causing.

"This is how it's gonna be, huh? I either get back at them and feel like an asshole or I let them go and feel pathetic for letting them walk all over me. Awesome. I'm such a fucking idiot."

After a few moments of lying still, he sat up and reached over the edge of his bed and grabbed his phone. He sighed in relief to see there wasn't so much as a scratch on the screen.

"Come over later?" He texted to Aiden. As soon as he hit send, he tossed his phone to the side and laid back down. All the energy he had was immediately spent and he just wanted to sleep. He was out cold before Aiden texted him back, "Sure. What time?"

* * *

Zane's eyes opened to a bluish-white light spilling across his bedsheets.

"Shit, I was out for a while."

A light knocking startled him and he noticed a shadow of a man being cast across his room. His eyes snapped to the window and immediately remembered the text his sent earlier. He hopped out of bed and opened the window to let Aiden in.

"I'm so sorry, I passed out for a bit."

"I see that."

"You weren't out there waiting too long, were you?"

"No, only a couple minutes. I just finished up a job and I was getting concerned when you didn't respond to my text, so I thought I'd come by to see if everything's alright. .. _Is_ everything alright?"

Zane stared up at the man who seemed to be even more towering than usual, his handsome face was illuminated by the moonlight, which made his blue-green eyes all the more striking. His appearance was an odd mixture of intimidatingly attractive and calming. Zane felt relaxed and comfortable with Aiden there.

"Yeah, I just.. I wanted to talk. I wanted to get your advice on something." Zane folded his arms and sat back down on the edge of his bed.

"Sure, what do you wanna know?" AIden asked, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"It's not about hacking or anything..." Zane began to explain, "Well, I guess it kinda is." He stammered and shook his head, feeling like he was about to ask a stupid question. "Aiden, have you ever felt guilty about hacking someone?"

The man nodded, "Every now and then."

Zane was a little shocked. It wasn't the answer he saw coming from an expert hacker.

"It really depends on who it is."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes it's a necessity; there are certain people I've had to hack in the past that I really didn't want to. It was in dire times, but I always made up for it. You'll understand what I mean later on."

"What about when you started? Y'know, the very first people you ever hacked. Did you ever feel bad about it afterward, despite that you only did it in the first place because you knew they deserved it?"

"Yeah. Guess you could say it took some time getting used to the idea of causing harm to someone in such an invasive way. Even when it's someone who isn't worthy of mercy."

Zane stared down at his knees in silence, letting everything Aiden was saying sink in.

"Is that what's got you so down?"

"No, I'm not-" Zane began to protest, but stopped as he glanced up into Aiden's eyes. He could tell the hacker could read him like a book.

No use in concealing his emotions like he was used to, not that he really had to in front of Aiden. The man's had yet to make him feel foolish in any way, which is quite a feat.

"Yeah, I finally worked up the nerve to take my first shot of revenge at Reese and I was expecting that, for once, I'd feel like I won at something, that I put someone in their place for making me feel like shit. I thought it'd be glorious. Instead all I got out of it was feeling like a huge asshole. It's pathetic."

"It's not pathetic. It's normal. Actually, if anything, it's a good sign."

"How is it a good sign?"

"That you have a conscience. There's too many hackers out there that have no sense of what's right and wrong. That just leads to disaster." Aiden explained, gazing down at the streets below.

"The first few times you hack someone, no matter who it is, it's going to hurt a little. You get used to it after a while. It's nothing to worry about. It'd be more alarming if you could do it without feeling any remorse, especially when you're just starting out."

"So, I shouldn't take it as a sign that I shouldn't be doing this?" Zane asked, feeling the constricting remorse begin to lose its grip.

"Nah, that's something you figure out later. You just need to remember why you became a hacker in the first place. It helps if you remind yourself exactly what the people you're targeting did to get on your radar."

Zane smiled up at Aiden, "I really appreciate you helping me. Thanks." He tried to let the man's words make everything better, but he felt like something was still eating him up inside.

"Are you sure you're okay? You still seem a little upset."

"It's just, I hope you're right that I'll get used to it. I've kinda always been like this my whole life. I let people use me and fuck me over and the few times I ever try to get back at them, as pathetic an attempt as it is, I end up feeling bad about it. I guess I'm worried I'll never be able to break that cycle."

Aiden sat down beside Zane, reaching across his back and resting a hand on his shoulder.

"You're too hard on yourself, Zane. You're only human and, from the sound of it, one that has a good heart. That's nothing to be ashamed of, even if you are a hacker. You were hurt by people you thought you could trust and you have every right to be angry about it and want to hurt them back."

He was doing it again. Zane pretended it wasn't a big deal, but he was enjoying it. He liked it more the second time. It was such a simple gesture, but goddamn did Zane love it.

"It's only normal. The same can be said for feeling bad about it, but I promise you it does get easier." Aiden continued, rubbing Zane's shoulder, "You deserve to get retribution and to show people they can't get away with fucking with you, but it's also important not to let your anger control you."

Zane nodded in agreement. Aiden's words were resonating with him. There was no doubt he knew exactly what he was talking about. He was beginning to feel better about the whole situation.

Without thinking about it, Zane leaned into the embrace and rested his head against Aiden's broad leather-clad shoulder and held onto his waist. Luckily, the taller man didn't seem to mind. If anything, his response of tightening his hold suggested the contrary.

Though he was enjoying this, Zane felt like he was coming close to weirding Aiden out with how long he was holding onto him. He reluctantly pulled away from him and sat up, chuckling nervously.

"Thanks, umm.. I think I'll be alright. Like you said, I'll get used to it over time."

Aiden nodded, "Yeah, I know you will." He said assuringly. He slid his arm from behind Zane as he rose to his feet.

Zane immediately felt a little chilly as the warmth of Aiden's touch left him. The vigilante pulled his mask over the bridge of his nose and opened the window, leaping out to the fire escape.

"I'll see you later, Zane." He said in a tone and with a look in his eyes that was a little bit different than Zane was used to. It felt more caring and personal somehow.

"See you, Aiden."

He pulled down the window and promptly disappeared from view. Zane laid back down on his bed. His felt the warmth of where Aiden was seated only a moment ago as he stretched out his legs.

"When Aiden was holding me.." Zane whispered, conjuring up the blissful thoughts that ran through his head while that was happening. He felt safe, warm, cared for; things he's always wanted.

"Fuck."

It'd never happen, though. Even if Aiden did swing that way, he was far out of his league. He's just a man who looks out for the little guy and, for whatever reason, has taken enough of a liking to Zane to develop a feeling of protectiveness over him. He'd be a fool to push those boundaries and ruin something that's already good as is.

Still, he could at least enjoy thinking about it. And those thoughts helped lull him back to sleep.

* * *

Reese sat on the couch next to David, completely stonefaced. David glanced at his boyfriend and rubbed his knee.

"You don't look like you're enjoying the movie."

"David, really?" Reese glared at him, "Not only did I miss out on that car, but my entire fucking bank account is _drained_. So, sorry if I'm not exactly in the mood to enjoy a movie."

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to cheer you up. You know, they're still looking into it. It's very possible that this is just a glitch in the bank's database or something and your money will be back in your account tomorrow."

"Right," Reese scoffed, "Well, until then, if that's even the case, I'm not gonna be cool about losing all my money for no reason."

David frowned, his lips moving as he struggled to find the right words until he eventually gave up and looked down.

"I'm sorry," Reese sighed, "I don't mean to take it out on you. I'm just stressed out and pretty fucking scared right now, honestly."

"I know. Never been in a situation like this, but I understand," David said with a sympathetic smile, "I think everything will be alright, though. You didn't do anything wrong. This mess will get sorted out."

Reese smiled in return, "I hope you're right. Listen, can we call it a night? It's been a hell of a day and I'm fucking exhausted."

David nodded, "Yeah, I'm pretty wiped myself." He turned the TV off and began turning the lights off as he made his way to the bedroom with Reese before stopping in his tracks.

Reese noticed and spun around, "What's up? You coming?"

"Uhh, yeah. I just forgot I promised I'd call my mom tonight. She texted me earlier, wanted my opinion about something."

"Okay," Reese smiled, "Tell her I said hi. I'll keep the bed warm for you."

"I will. I won't be very long."

Reese walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind him, only enough to allow a small sliver of light to show through. David stepped outside and walked a short distance from the house before making his call.

"Hey, man, how've you been?" David said as his call was answered, "That's good. Wish I could say the same, but I could be better, honestly. Well, you know a lot about hacking, don't you? Awesome. Um, I really need you to do me a favor.."


	5. Peerless

_Note: Yeaahhhh... I really need to quit promising new chapters by a certain time. It never works out. I think I just end up jinxing myself whenever I do that anyway. Hope you don't hate me too much for the long wait!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5: [Peerless]**

It wasn't exactly the norm for the day to begin like this, nor for it to last very long at all, but he'd take it. There were no stomach pains, underlying feelings of subtle panic or body aches anywhere to be found when Zane regained consciousness after a full night of sleep. It was very strange, but he learned to never look a gift horse in the mouth. And yes, something as simple as a day _not_ being shitty was something he considered a gift.

Zane felt a little silly obsessing over something so insignificant, but it was far from meaningless to him. That little bit of time he spent with Aiden last night was all he could think about. It was such a simple gesture that Aiden probably didn't even put much thought into, but Zane was profoundly appreciative. Maybe it was because he's only ever been in one relationship in his life and it ended in the worst way. Maybe it was because even the most intimate moments with David didn't make him feel as safe and cared for as when Aiden calmed him down last night.

Whatever the reason, Zane liked it. However, he refused to allow himself to get caught up in the wishful thinking. Aiden was obviously just trying to be nice and it wouldn't be wise to take it for granted. It would be better to just be happy that the man was being so kind and taking him under his wing in the first place.

With that in mind, Zane checked his phone, scanning over the most recent updates on Reese.

"Guess it wasn't meant to be :(" Reese lamented in his update. "Got an email telling me the car found a new owner a few minutes ago. Hope whoever got it has fun with it."

His usual entourage of loyal supporters bombarded him with comments reassuring him that he'll find a better car. Some of them even said that he possibly dodged a bullet, suggesting outlandish scenarios that the guy who bought the car might have ended up in a ditch fifteen minutes after driving off the lot because of faulty brakes or something. What was wrong with these people?

"You've suffered enough... I guess." Zane said to himself as he deposited all of the money back into Reese's account, without so much as a cent of it missing.

Seeing all of the money back in the account where it belongs made him smile, while also feeling a little disgusted at himself at the same time. This guy betrayed him and made him feel miserable, after all, so he felt like he should take pride in taking something away from the bastard and be a little more apprehensive in giving it back to him.

Though, Aiden did say it was something he'd eventually get used to, right? Hopefully that would come sooner rather than later. It's not much fun being everyone's go-to doormat to wipe their feet on.

Zane noticed the refrigerator and cabinets were looking pretty bare when searching for something to eat. He couldn't even remember the last time he went shopping for groceries. For once, he wasn't dreading being out in public and having to deal with other people. He headed out and grabbed himself enough food to keep him sustained for a while with minimal issue.

After putting away a full meal, Zane decided to keep the productivity going and started working on his hacking and learning new techniques.

"...But should I even continue hacking?"

The question arose out of nowhere, but it was one of those things that had been occupying Zane's mind just outside of his consciousness. It was a good question. He only started becoming a hacker to get back at Reese and David. And while he hasn't done a whole lot to them, perhaps he'd already taken enough revenge and it was best to just leave them alone.

He was so wrapped up in putting so much effort and thought into becoming a hacker for this purpose, he hadn't really thought that realistically he wouldn't be seeking vengeance on them forever.

But he didn't want to give up hacking even if it'd be stupid and pointless to continue with it after he accomplished what he set out to do in the first place. It was something he was good at, something he enjoyed. Two qualities that seemed mutually exclusive up until now. But he knew he'd be hurting other people, who have done nothing to him to deserve it, unlike Reese and David. He wanted to ask Aiden why he continues to hack, since he knows the man has been hacking for several years. What reasons do people have for becoming a hacker? What was the purpose of making such a thing into your career?

"Aiden.. if I give up on hacking, I probably won't see or talk to him again. Why would I? The only reason we ever spend any time together is because we're both hackers. I haven't even been hacking for very long and I've known Aiden for even less time. There'd be no reason for him to want to keep speaking to me if I give up on hacking. Not to mention he'd probably make it a point to cut me out of his life, for the sake of his own privacy."

Regardless, he continued perfecting his techniques and testing out the new things he learned or was working on. A largely abandoned district filled with factories was only a few blocks away from the apartment and it was the perfect place to mess around with hacking.

The distant soundtrack of the busy city, along with the cool fall breeze was perfect for keeping Zane focused and it gave him a chance to slow down and think with clarity.

"I want to keep hacking, even when the day finally comes that I quit thinking about David and Reese ever again. I don't want to hurt innocent people. If anything, I want to help them. That's what Aiden does, isn't it? And the others just like him? I can use my skills and my knowledge to help people who usually get overlooked and ignored when they need help. I can also put a target on the back of any asshole who gets away with hurting those people."

Zane was satisfied with his new resolve. He felt like he could finally make a positive impact on the world and serve a purpose.

* * *

"Come on… not again!" Zane growled, "Twice in a row?" He stared at the screen of his phone, frozen on an app and unresponsive to his touch or commands. He impatiently waited, hoping it would unfreeze. Instead, the screen went black and the phone rebooted.

"Time for a new phone, I guess," Zane sighed and slipped his phone into his pocket, only then noticing that the sky had transitioned into night since he got there. "I should be going home anyway. Didn't realize I was out here for so long."

He could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket like crazy the whole way back home. He took the phone out and looked at the plethora of notifications popping up.

"The fuck? These are all notifications I already got. What's going on?" He attempted to dismiss them, but the phone started opening random apps like it had a mind of its own.

After a few minutes, everything seemed to settle down. Zane raised an eyebrow at his phone's odd behavior. He wasn't too worried about it, though. If anyone knew what was wrong with his phone and how to fix it, it'd be Aiden.

"Hey, are you busy tonight? My phone's been acting up. Wondering if you could come by my place later and check it out." Zane texted as he reached the block his apartment was on.

His phone buzzed a few minutes later, "Yeah, no problem. Just got a few things to take care of. I'll be there around 10. That alright?"

"Works for me. See you tonight!"

* * *

David gave a lazy glance at his phone when it lit up. He was ready to ignore it and continue watching TV when he saw who the text was from

 _Tyler: "I got a match!"_

 _David: "You better not be fucking with me! Seriously?"_

 _Tyler: "I don't joke about this shit. Guess someone was feeling a little guilty. Your bf's money is back in his acct."_

 _Tyler: "You owe me extra for saying I'd fuck up, dude. :P Didn't I tell you I'd come through? Sending the address to my contact now. Consider it done by tonight."_

 _David: "Great! He's gonna be so happy! I'm sorry… I shouldn't have ever doubted you lol. So who is it? I wanna know who it is so I can tell my bf"_

 _Tyler: "Sorry… :/ Kind of a rule with us. We don't give out that kind of info."_

 _David: "Are you serious? Cmon, I'm not some random guy coming to you for help, I'm your friend. Just make an exception"_

 _Tyler: "Sorry, Dave, I can't. The reason why this system works is cuz we keep distribution of info separate amongst us. Once we start leaking info, shit gets messy and harder to control."_

 _David: "Fine, whatever."_

 _Tyler: "I'm sorry, man. Did you wanna handle this yourself? Then I could tell you."_

 _David: "No. Forget about it, I understand. You gotta do what you gotta do."_

 _Tyler: "Alright then."_

David grinned with satisfaction. He set the phone back down on the arm of the couch and went back to watching TV. "Whoever it was… they're about to learn a valuable lesson."

* * *

Zane noticed himself becoming more excited at the idea of seeing Aiden again in a few hours. It wasn't even like it was a big deal; Aiden had been over several times already. This time felt like it was different somehow, though. Perhaps because it'd be the first time that Aiden would be over while Zane had virtually no worries hanging over his head to distract him.

He really wanted to further their relationship and find out if Aiden would even so much as entertain the idea of being with him romantically, but he knew it was far too soon for that. And, even if it wasn't, it might be unwise to pursue a relationship with the man at all.

Why rock the boat? Zane already had everything he wanted; a friend, someone who cares and looks out for him, someone who helps him when he needs it. Not to mention Aiden would still be attractive whether or not they were in a relationship together. Besides, it's not like relationships have ever been good to Zane.

Not that he's had much experience, but the one time he ever successfully got to the point of a relationship, it blew up in his face. That kind of experience will leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

No, it would just be better to accept things as they are. They were good right now. Why ruin it?

Sporadic noises from down the hall initially went unnoticed by Zane as he sat in the computer room, too focused on reliving '90s nostalgia in the form of a video game emulator. The indeterminate sounds turned into the sliding of a window opening, followed by the light tap of two feet touching the ground.

The game was paused as soon as Zane thought he heard something.

"Here already?" Zane asked himself and checked the clock on his phone to make sure he didn't actually zone out and let a whole hour slip by without noticing.

Nope, it was barely 9 yet. He wasn't supposed to be here for about another hour. Zane got up from his seat and was about to comment aloud on Aiden being early, but the words caught up in his mouth. Something was definitely off right now. Zane could feel it.. Not only has Aiden never shown up more than a few minutes early before, but the footsteps sounded different. They lacked the normal heavy thud of Aiden's boots. These steps were smaller and lighter. The way he was walking was odd too. The gait sounded like it belonged to someone who knew they weren't welcome there.

The thought of an uninvited guest currently skulking through Zane's apartment made his adrenaline spike. He was fine dealing with his enemies from a distance, not up close and personal. He desperately wished the man would do or say something to prove he was Aiden and put his mind at ease.

By the time it sounded like he made it halfway down the hall, Zane thought to use the screen of his phone as a mirror and try to get a look of who was approaching him. He prayed that the man wasn't actually much closer to him than he thought and that he wouldn't notice the phone from where he was standing.

The apartment was dimly lit, but still illuminated enough to see what was going on. Zane held his breath and slowly slid his phone into the hallway, hoping that whoever it was wouldn't notice it. He frantically positioned the screen to see into the rest of the house.

"Where the hell is he?" Zane whispered to himself, struggling to locate the man in the reflection.

His hands shook, making it hard to hold the phone still. The search continued until he noticed a shadow moving across one of the lamps. He moved the phone into the correct position and held it as still as he could.

He finally caught a clear glimpse of the person in the next room. A chill wrapped around him and he quickly retracted his phone when he realized he was alone with a stranger. Quickly, he looked around the room. There weren't many options; he was basically cornered. The only thing he could do was hide in the closet.

Crawling slowly enough to not make the floor creak, he reached his closet. Once he was in there and under a pile of clothes, he typed out a message and hoped that Aiden's phone wasn't on vibrate.

"Someone's here. Broke in. Don't know who he is."

"Where are you and where is he? Did he see you?"

"In my computer room. He didn't see me. Probably got in from my bedroom, he's in the living room."

"Hide somewhere and stay as quiet as you can. I'm on my way."

Zane was relieved, but it was short-lived. The man was now outside the door of the computer room. Zane's entire body became rigid. He slowly pocketed his phone and resumed staying still. His breathing slowed the closer the sound of creaking floorboards got to him. After a few steps, they stopped completely. The room, apartment, even the city seemed to plunge into a tangible silence.

What was he doing? Zane felt like he was waiting for an eternity for the man to take another step or make any sort of noise whatsoever. And he knew if he didn't start breathing like a normal person soon, he'd pass out from lack of oxygen.

Zane yelped when his cover was suddenly tugged off of him and he was no face-to-face with his intruder. Reflexively, he shoved the man back as he threw himself out of the closet and ran for the door. He barely made it outside the room when he was pulled down off his feet by the collar of his shirt.

"Whoa! Where do you think you're going, little man? I don't think so." The intruder said mockingly.

The man stood up. As he rose to his feet, Zane felt his grip on his shirt loosen. He knew an opportunity when he saw one and he bolted out of the man's grip and made it into the living room before being tackled to the ground.

"You know, I really don't like it when people run away from me when I'm trying to talk to them. You're kind of a rude little prick. But we already knew that, now didn't we?"

"What the fuck are you talking about!?" Zane had no idea who this guy was, but he apparently knew who Zane was or at least thought he did.

Zane struggled to free himself, but the intruder was pinning him to the ground with all of his weight. The man wasn't overweight, but he was definitely bigger than Zane. He stood up once again, this time keeping a tight grip on Zane's shirt. He pulled the smaller man to his feet with him and spun him around so they were facing each other.

The man looked younger than Zane expected. He was probably around his age, possibly even younger. He glared up at the man, frustrated at allowing himself to be so powerless again. The man's knuckles dug against his chest as he tightened his grip. Zane figured he could feel his heart pounding against his chest, but he still tried to hide his fear.

"You know what I'm talking about." The man smirked, "You've been doing shit you shouldn't be doing. Hacking, for example. Y'know, using your little phone to invade other peoples' privacy and make their lives miserable for your own selfish gain. Sound familiar?"

The click of a gun broke the silence that followed the man's question.

"This little game of 20 Questions is over. Let him go. Now." That familiar deep, gravelly voice resonated against the hallway and Zane felt himself relax a bit.

Aiden impatiently pressed the barrel of the gun against the back of the intruder's head.

"Do I need to repeat myself? I said, let him go." Aiden's voice was calm, but something was bubbling just under the surface and it was palpable.

Zane stepped back from the man as he finally listened to Aiden and let him go.

"Now, put your hands in the air." Aiden commanded.

The man obeyed and slowly raised his arms up, unwilling to pull a fast one as long as that gun was poking into his skull.

His hands weren't even all the way up before he was slammed into the wall by Aiden. The blow was so strong that Zane was shocked to not see so much as a dent in the wall. Aiden's rough hands gripped the intruder's shirt so tightly, his fingers nearly tore through the fabric. His feet looked like they were having a hard time maintaining contact with the floor with Aiden practically pinning him to the wall.

"What's wrong? You don't look like you're enjoying this." Aiden quipped, "If that's right, then maybe you shouldn't be doing it to other people."

Aiden abruptly released the man and he fell to his knees. He took his time standing back up again.

"I suggest you get out of here and forget you were ever here in the first place. I can make your life miserable just from what I know about you," Aiden warned.

"Oh yeah? And what do you know about me?"

"Enough. Including what you look like. Big mistake. I bet you weren't even smart enough to cover up traces of your presence here or even avoid leaving any at all."

He was at a loss for words, glancing around nervously and looking like a child being scolded by an adult.

"Now's the part where you take your "Get out of jail free" card and get lost." Aiden said, raising his voice a bit, "Don't ever let me catch you around here again. I won't go easy on you next time."

It took a second for him to register the fact that he was free to go. He cautiously backed up, obviously afraid that Aiden would do something as soon as he turned his back. As soon as he entered my bedroom he turned and ran for the window. Aiden briskly followed behind to see him out, his long trench coat waving behind him.

The sound of the window closing and locking shut followed a few seconds later before Aiden stepped back into the hallway.

"You're just going to let him go? I don't get it."

"Trust me, it's for the best." Aiden said, pulling down his mask. "If he turns up missing, then whoever sent him is going to come looking for him and this will be the first place they check. You don't want that."

"Yeah, but what if he comes back?"

Aiden shook his head, "He won't."

"How can you be so sure?"

"He was a novice, didn't know what he was doing." Aiden explained, "Besides, I wasn't lying when I said I have enough info to ruin him if he comes back."

"You can really do all that just by knowing what he looks like?" Zane asked. He knew facial recognition was powerful, but he didn't think it was that capable.

"Well, no. It helps knowing what he looks like, but that isn't enough leverage on its own. That's part of the reason why I knew the kid was in over his head. A Fixer with at least some experience would be able to call my bluff." Aiden reached into his coat pocket. "They'd also do a better job of keeping track of their phone."

Zane was amazed to see Aiden pull the intruder's phone from his pocket.

"Seriously? You lifted his phone off of him? How did you do that without him noticing? Hell, I didn't even see you pull that off."

"Sleight of hand. Really comes through in situations like this. He'd be an idiot to try to come back here with all that we have on him. He'll probably think twice about tattling once he realizes his phone is missing anyway."

Zane smiled. Aiden really was impressive and even now he was still doing things that surprised him.

"I just want to know what he was doing here."

"Did he say anything to you that might suggest why he was here?"

"No… not that I can remember."

"Have you been doing anything recently that could grab a Fixer's attention like this?"

Zane shook his head, "The only hacking I did recently was… Reese's bank account."

Suddenly it made sense. That must've been what the Fixer was talking about when he was taunting Zane.

"Aside from a few little things here and there, the biggest thing I've done was empty out Reese's account. It was only long enough to fuck with him, then I put all of the money back this morning. But I was completely secured. I made sure no one could trace me!"

It was nerve-wracking to think that despite all of the precautions taken and the sense of security that came with it, there was no such thing as immunity in the hacking world.

"You said your phone was acting up earlier. That could very well have to do with your unwanted visitor." Aiden held out his hand, "Can I take a look?"

Zane handed Aiden the phone and the hacker went straight to the necessary directories and files to see if anything looked suspicious. After briefly running through the usual protocols of detecting a hacker, Aiden handed the phone back to its owner.

"Nothing looks too suspicious, but I'm going to have to take a closer look at it tomorrow. I can bring over some equipment that will help out, if you don't mind."

"Yeah, that's not a problem at all. I wanna figure out what's going on."

"We'll figure it out, don't worry." Aiden reassured, noticing the younger man was still a bit bothered. "Hey, these kinds of things happen and there's a lot of ways and reasons why they do."

Zane nodded weakly, not giving Aiden much of a response.

"Are you going to be okay tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Zane said, trying to sound a bit more upbeat. He really didn't want Aiden to feel like he needed to worry about him.

"Okay, just try to keep your phone usage down to a minimum until I can check it out tomorrow. You don't want to draw anymore unwanted attention."

"Won't have to worry much about that. I'm kinda turned off from electronics in general after tonight."

"Zane, I understand what you're feeling. I know it may not seem like it, but I get it and it is one of those things that get better over time, I promise."

Aiden's voice was very low and calm as he tried to comfort Zane. It always soothed him and made him feel warm and relaxed.

"Yeah, you're right." Zane said weakly, wrapping his arms around himself.

The poor guy was quite obviously still shaken up and Aiden knew he probably wanted to be alone right now.

"I'll be back tomorrow night. Keep your door and windows locked." Aiden said as he headed for the window to the fire escape. "And Zane?" He turned to face the younger man, "If anything comes up and you need my help, please don't hesitate to call me. Okay?" He rested his hands on both of his shoulders and gripped them firmly.

Zane glanced up and noticed Aiden looking straight into his eyes. The vibe he was getting from Aiden right now was unfamiliar to him. It was his tone of voice, the way he was looking at him right now and the feeling of his strong hands gripping his shoulders reassuringly. He didn't really know what to make of it. The only thing he was sure of was how much he liked the way it made him feel.

"I will, don't worry." Zane smiled and nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, Aiden."

After Aiden left through the window, Zane did what the man suggested and made sure each and every entrance to his apartment was locked. He returned to the living room and sat down on the couch, staring at the blank TV screen in front of him.

Bored, he decided to check things on his phone. He glanced down at the screen and was almost immediately caught up in flashbacks of what had happened tonight. His eyes weren't even focusing on anything in particular anymore and he continued staring long after the screen timed out and turned off.

"God, I'm such a fucking idiot." Zane lamented while staring through the screen, "I can't do anything right."


	6. Long Time No See

**CHAPTER 6: [Long Time No See]**

Zane's feet dragged across the wood chips and fallen leaves, dredging up dirt along the way. His eyes focused on something a few feet away from him on the ground, though his gaze remained static as his feet gained traction and moved him all around as if he were operating on auto-pilot.

His hands gripped the cold metal of the chains suspending the hard plastic he was seated on. It had been a while since he visited his old elementary school; no less than sixteen years.. Not much had changed since the last time he rode on this swing.

"Not much has changed with me, either." Zane said aloud, albeit in a hushed tone. "Just as naive and inexperienced as I was back then."

From afar, Aiden stood on the roof of a relatively tall building, watching over him. Aiden couldn't help feeling protective of the younger hacker, even though he knew Zane was entitled to his privacy. He'd start to worry when Zane went a long time without texting him back.

Tonight he decided to trace Zane's signal and see if he was okay. He was relieved to see him hanging around a playground and almost decided to approach him before realizing it'd be best to leave him alone. Solitude was obviously what he wanted right now. Despite the distance, Aiden could tell Zane probably wasn't in the mood for company.

He knew Zane was hurting, even without him verbalizing it. Aiden could sense it from the vibes he was giving off and he wanted to help him, but he knew to keep his distance. It was for the best.

"But what if this isn't the right thing to do?" Aiden thought to himself. "I really need to quit assuming I have all the right answers. It's something I do all the time, but right now I can't even pretend I have a clue. Zane… He's something entirely different. I've never met anyone like him. It's all so unfamiliar to me. I haven't felt this way in a while. Actually, if I'm honest, I'm not sure I've _ever_ felt this way."

Aiden looks up in time to see Zane standing and walking away from the playground.

"Take care of yourself, Zane." Aiden says quietly, watching him leave. The man sighs and stuffs his hands into his coat pockets as he makes his own exit.

Communication between the two hackers had gone silent a while ago. Aiden's concern for the young hacker was growing worse by the minute. The sensation of caring so much about another's well-being felt like it was surfacing from a long-forgotten place and Aiden found it oddly refreshing.

After all, he lived a lonesome life. It was easier that way, especially after his niece got caught in the crossfire.

He often felt afraid that he was losing the ability to communicate with other people. Simply checking up on Zane wasn't the same. Zane needed something more than someone watching out for him from afar. He probably needed a friend or at least some company. Aiden didn't know if Zane even considered him a friend.

He also knew Zane wasn't a child; he was a grown man who could take care of himself and he probably wouldn't appreciate being checked up on as if he needed a babysitter.

* * *

"God, what the hell is wrong with me?" Zane thought to himself, wrapped up in blankets and staring out the window at the night sky from his bed.

"Seriously, what am I even doing with my life? And how come it's taken this fucking long to even start asking myself these questions? All I ever do anymore is sit here, drink beer and stare at the wall all day long. It's so fucked up how anyone can live like this. But I guess I've always been fucked up, haven't I?"

Hacking was his entire life up until a week or so ago. Now the thought of doing such a thing fueled his paranoia, even though it was once like a drug to empowering drug that made him feel invincible.

It was a bad habit of his. Anytime something bad ever happened to Zane, he would place the blame on himself and the activity and he'd stop doing it for a while. Sometimes he'd stop doing it entirely. He quit hacking because he was afraid of making another mistake. He quit talking to Aiden because he felt like he let him down.

Hiding out from the world and being lackadaisical towards everything was how he responded to most of his problems. It was starting to wear on him, but he didn't know how to break out of it.

It wouldn't be so bad if he was spending his free time doing something productive rather than idly staring at his phone and pondering various 'what if' scenarios.

Every time he caught himself gawking at his phone, he internally chastised himself and resumed dedicating his focus to the TV in front of him. However, it would only be a few seconds before the phone regained his attention. He rubbed his hands over his face in frustration.

"Jesus Christ. Am I really gonna do this?"

He turned back to the TV for a moment and then back to the phone. This back-and-forth happened for a few more minutes.

"...No time like the present."

Zane reached for his phone and snatched it from the table like he was ripping off a bandage. He had to do it quick before he caved into the anxiety and changed his mind.

He quickly threw on his shoes and coat and stepped out into the world, refusing to give acknowledgement to any of his thoughts beckoning him back into inaction.

It was like he had never walked away from hacking. Nothing about it felt different. There was nothing that looked so unfamiliar that he had to relearn it. Actually, it felt easier and more empowering than ever. Had he known how exhilarating this would feel, he would have got back into it sooner and spare himself the misery.

Each successful hack made him feel closer to Aiden and brought back thoughts of him. He wanted to text him, but the shame and embarrassment of his failure was overwhelming.

He took the lack of communication on Aiden's part to be a sign that he had given up on him. Maybe it was for the best.

It hurt not having him around anymore and this return made it all the more apparent. Sure, he picked up on hacking before Aiden became a part of his life, but the association was undeniable. He loved having Aiden around to guide him, to be there for him and make him feel like he wasn't alone.

"Well, I think I have enough money for some beer now at least…" Zane said as he checked on his refilled bank account.

A trip to the ATM and the nearby liquor store later and Zane had returned to his favorite spot on the roof with a case of beer. It was a good night for some alone time with the lights and sounds of the city and the crisp autumn breeze.

* * *

"Long time no see."

A gruff voice echoed from across the roof suddenly, startling Zane and nearly causing him to spit out the swig of booze in his mouth.

It was the suddenness that caught him off guard, as the voice was easily recognizable.

"Holy shit! Dude, I thought I told you not to sneak up on me like that anymore!"

"I'm sorry… I was just worried about you. I haven't heard from you in a while. Why didn't you text me or anything?" Aiden's voice echoed as he approached Zane. His large coat flapped audibly as the wind swept past them.

Zane looked down as Aiden stood over him. He hesitated and took another drink from the bottle in his hand before answering.

"I didn't text you because I didn't want to be a burden to you anymore." He set the bottle on the ground and pulled his knees in closer to his chest. "I fucked up so bad before. It was embarrassing. And I kinda thought about giving up on hacking for a little while so… I figured there'd probably be no reason for you to want to me around me anymore. "

"You _thought_ about giving up? As in…"

"I recently got back into it again." Zane explained. "It was hard, but I remembered how much I loved it. I just wanted to quit getting in my own way."

"I'm glad to hear that." Aiden said. He was honestly relieved at this.

Zane turned and looked up at the other man. "Why didn't _you_ text me?"

"I wanted to give you some space. You seemed really upset about what happened and I didn't want to crowd you. I know how it feels. I kinda like to be by myself when I'm dealing with shit." Aiden walked over to Zane and sat beside him. Zane could practically feel the warmth radiating from his body. "Unless I'm with the right person."

"Yeah, you're right. Thank you." Zane smiled and glanced at him. "But I wouldn't have minded having you around while I dealt with it."

"I'll keep that in mind." Aiden smiled. "By the way, even if you did give up hacking, I wouldn't see that as a reason to stop talking to you. I do consider you a friend, Zane. I care about you."

The warmth in Aiden's words were subtle, but apparent and Zane felt it.

"I feel the same way, Aiden." Zane grins too, trying to suppress his elation somewhat. Zane stands up, but as soon as he tries to take a step, his balance slips away like a rug being pulled out from under him.

Aiden quickly rises to his feet and catches Zane before he falls over.

"Whoa! You okay?"

"Yeah, I guess I had a lot more to drink than I thought I did." Zane said, a mild slur distorting his speech. It was like all the alcohol he drank hit him at once. He couldn't even see straight.

"Come on, let's get you back to your room."

Aiden wraps his arm around Zane's waist and Zane reciprocates by placing his hand on Aiden's shoulder. He slightly leans against the taller man as he stumble-walks with him back to his apartment.

In his drunken state, Zane incorrectly assumed he'd be fine walking on his own, but he didn't complain. He loved being held so closely to Aiden. He was also freezing, so the warmth that Aiden provided was very welcome.

Aiden let go of Zane as the younger man sat down on the couch.

"Ah shit! I left my case and bottles up on the roof…" Zane stood up and started heading for the door before Aiden stopped him.

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."

Zane didn't protest to this and sat back on the couch.

"You have any bottles of water here?" Aiden asked as he looked around.

"I have some in there." Zane said, pointing to the refrigerator.

Aiden retrieved one and handed it to Zane. "Drink this. You wanna stay hydrated."

Zane chuckled, "I'm fine man. I'm not that drunk."

"How many beers did you have?" Aiden glanced at Zane incredulously, noticing his slightly slurred speech.

"I dunno, really. I lost count."

"Well, still better safe than sorry. Hangovers are no fun."

Zane was the type of person to take the mildest kind of advice as being bossed around and would normally be too stubborn to follow it, but when it was coming from Aiden, it came off as genuine guidance rather than a condescending order.

He unscrewed the cap and gulped down the contents of the bottle. After a few seconds, he crushed the empty bottle and tossed it into the recycling bin. Aiden handed him a second bottle as he sat back down.

"Another one?" Zane grabbed the bottle.

"It's always a good idea to drink more water than you think you need after a night of drinking."

Zane began working on the second bottle as Aiden headed back up to the roof to collect the mess of Zane's private party, equipped with a large garbage bag.

Aiden was surprised. Every bottle he picked up was completely empty and ended up going in the trash bag. He glanced at the box and noticed that it was clearly labeled as "18 pack". He was honestly impressed that a smaller guy like Zane could put away so much booze in the first place, even more so that he could hold his alcohol a lot better than most guys who were a lot bigger than him.

He tied up the bag and carried it back down to Zane's apartment. Zane clutched the almost-empty water bottle in his hand as his tired eyes fixated on the TV in front of him. After tossing the large bag in the recycling bin, Aiden headed for the fridge to grab a third cold water bottle and handed it to Zane.

Zane swallowed the last bit in his current bottle and crushed it before reaching for the next one. "Three bottles of water to prevent a hangover?" He asked incredulously.

"Saw how much you had. You know you put away an entire 18-pack? Trust me, you'll need this."

"Seriously? Fuck… I didn't even mean to have that much." Zane was shocked and honestly, a little disappointed in himself.

"Seems like you drink when you're stressed. You just need to relax." Aiden sat down next to the young man and placed a hand on his shoulder, caressing it gently.

"Yeah, I think so too." Zane glanced at Aiden and leaned against him, resting his head on his broad shoulder. Something he normally would be too apprehensive to do, but the combination of Aiden's friendliness and the copious amounts of liquid courage running through his veins made the reluctance disappear.

Aiden noticed Zane was shaking. Poor guy must still be freezing from his one-man roof party.

"Hold on." Aiden began removing his coat. Zane thought he might've been inconveniencing him and making him too warm but he began draping the heavy coat around his shoulders. Zane instantly felt himself warming up. Zane glanced at him questioningly.

"You were shaking. You must be freezing from being outside all night." Aiden explained, his hand returning to Zane's shoulder.

It was almost odd seeing Aiden without his signature leather jacket. Zane wondered if he'd ever seen him without it at all. Now all he was wearing was a plain black pull-over hoodie.

Zane smiled, "Thanks." He resumed leaning against Aiden and closed his eyes. Up until now, nothing had ever felt so right. It was undeniable. If only it never had to end.


End file.
